Last Monday Wales were knocked out of the World Cup qualifiers by a single winning goal from the right boot of left-footer James McClean, of the Republic of Ireland. McClean's a left-footer in every sense : born and raised in Derry City, he chose to play for the Republic not the North. When he scored a few Welsh fans rose and gesticulated wildly.....I even thought for a second there were Irish among us. Then I realised their venom was directed at goalscorer McClean of West Brom. During the game a small number of our fans booed him every time he touched the ball. He's well used to this and gets it from all visiting fans, though Baggies' ones have made up their own chant about him to the tune of the English anthem! It all began when he was playing for Sunderland and carried on at Wigan, when he refused to wear a poppy to commemorate Remembrance Sunday. In a letter to Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, McClean said he had total respect for those who fought and died in two World Wars, but his problem was the 'honouring' of soldiers who'd fought in n. Ireland. 'For me to wear a poppy would be as much a gesture of disrespect for the innocent people who lost their lives in the Troubles...' McClean stands alone, and brave, in taking this stand. Many innocents were murdered by the British army in that war : mere suspects by SAS in shoot-to-kill, joyriders who'd driven through check-points and many totally uninvolved like Seamus 'Kidso' Reilly, a well-known roadie who worked for the likes of Bananarama. Bloody Sunday is certainly the best-known, where civil rights protesters were brutally killed on the streets of Derry. If I were a footballer (not likely to happen, I concur) I'd do the same. Not just out of solidarity with the oppressed republican people of the six counties, but also as a statement about the nature of 'honouring' victims of war. The many innocent people - and freedom-fighters in colonial wars - who've died as a result of conflicts are not even acknowledged by a symbol ( the red poppy) inextricably linked to the British military. It's odd that the poppy-wearing controversy has become so contentious as many sports give it no prominence and even football has adopted it with such vigour only in recent years. Both England and Scotland were notoriously fined large amounts by FIFA for wearing and displaying poppies last year and the media were generally horrified at that body calling them 'political'. Ironically, the self-same media ready to castigate McClean's refusal as a blatantly political stance! Now FIFA's set to lift its ban, so England's up-coming friendly with Germany will see their players ( with necessary German approval) sporting them. Will they, I wonder, be honouring the dead of Dresden during the 2nd World War? It seems likely they'll be an integral part of the kit , which would leave McClean with no choice in the matter. I fully agree with the Quakers, who argue that it should be up to individual players whether they wear red poppies, white ones, or none at all. Another element to this came when McClean's club played an American team in a friendly and, for some strange reason, the 'Queen' was played. McClean turned away and bowed his head in what was seen as a gesture of disrespect. It provoked DUP's Gregory Campbell into claiming that McClean should quit English football. Now, I've many English friends and quite a few are avid republicans who believe that their anthem should be changed. Campbell should realise it's not just the Irish who are against that iniquitous system. After Wales' defeat I spoke to one friend, whose only comment was -' Why did it have to be that idiot who scored?' If anyone's a working-class hero, McClean is; boy from the Creggan who cares enough about the history of his people to stand up and take regular abuse. I had a moment after Ireland scored much like I did when Justin Fashanu scored the winner against my beloved Bluebirds, after he'd been the first professional footballer to come out as gay. Against all my affiliations , I sided with the opposition, who had risen above bitter bile from the terraces from those too ignorant to care or find out.

BOOING McCLEAN

James McClean from Derry City,at every stadium subject to boo-boys.

Vilified for not wearing a poppy,not afraid to enter the fray.

Chose the South not six counties,Irish not British he would say.

Knows the suffering of people of Derry,knows of the slaughter on Bloody Sunday ;

knows the occupation by a foreign army,how civil rights protesters were treated so badly.

Allegiance to his own family,allegiance to his own country.

Irish blood-shed over many centuries,as Christy Moore would sing defiantly.

When some Welsh booed him that MondayI thought of Risings, our shared history.